The seasons they are a-changin’ once more!
Somehow, today is the final day of summer. I promise I’m not just trying to be cruel by reminding all of you about that… and, thankfully, the beginning of a Toronto autumn can still feel quite a bit like summer!
I was in a meeting last week and the lady who was facilitating it was talking about change. She chuckled as she asked how many of us like change and feel we do well when we face it. There were not many hands going up across that Zoom call, but there were a lot of grins and eyerolls.
Change can be really, really difficult.
(And even that is putting it quite lightly.)
There are countless ways that humans interact with change… some of the most common ones would be changes to our bodies as we grow and age, changes in weather (particularly in a place like Ontario which experiences all four seasons) and changes in our relationships! There are changes that we can put into motion ourselves and there are even more changes that take place whether we give permission for them to happen or not.
And the changes that happen without our permission can be some of the most challenging ones!
Our facilitator, Cheryl Nembhard, wasn’t trying to be cruel either by leading us to consider the changes in our lives and our feelings towards them… she was leading us in an exercise to not only face them ourselves, but to bring them before God. She led us to make a chart, labeling it with: “Endings” at the top of the far left column, “The In-Between” in the middle column, and “New Beginnings” at the top of the final column. She described each of those places for us (you can find some notes on that below) and encouraged us to fill in the chart according to where we were at that day.
All three of those places are places that we live in simultaneously. While summer is ending and fall is beginning, we are also in-between Labour Day and Thanksgiving. And that’s just an example of the physical seasons!
Consider how much more complex your own life is, the relationships and family dynamics; the home/work/church spheres; the inner growth and maturing that is also taking place.
As I was filling out that chart I realized that while my parents are moving to Finland, it is not the end of them being my parents! It might be the end of them living in Canada, but it is also the beginning of them living in Finland… which means all four of us are together in the in-between season of navigating what it looks like to be a long-distance family!
No matter how any of us are feeling or what our situations look like, God is at work.
Psalm 121 begins by telling us that it is “a song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem”. I can’t think of a better way to describe what it feels like to navigate change. Not only being a pilgrim (“someone who is journeying in a foreign land”) but also ascending and pressing upwards and onwards to a place of worshipping God.
I hope your spirit will be strengthened and your soul encouraged by the words of the psalmist:
Psalm 121
A song for pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.
1 I look up to the mountains—
does my help come from there?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth!
3 He will not let you stumble;
the one who watches over you will not slumber.
4 Indeed, he who watches over Israel
never slumbers or sleeps.
5 The Lord himself watches over you!
The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.
6 The sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon at night.
7 The Lord keeps you from all harm
and watches over your life.
8 The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go,
both now and forever.
If the above exercise sounds like something that would be helpful for you in this season, check out the prompts below!
Take a few moments and spend some time reflecting on the transitions and changes you find yourself in. Settle yourself down and ask the Lord to highlight which parts of your life he’d like you to focus on.
Places of Endings
- These are not just places of sadness or death!
- Ending in one area always leads to something new
- Healthy transitions will require:
- Celebrations of what was
- Grieving what no longer is
- Eventually, acceptance of what’s next
The In-Between Places
- Cannot be rushed through
- This is a place of hopes & dreams emerging
- It is a place of incubation and can lead to growth and maturity
- Much more beautiful than expected
Places of New Beginnings
- Hold anticipation for what is ahead
- Reclaiming wonder!
- New vision and/or clarity
- New eyes to see; new attitudes and outlook on things
- Can bring about new patterns and rhythms
What’s ending? What’s beginning? Did I celebrate, grieve and accept what was?
What does the in-between look like and where is God right now?
How can I look forward to what is beginning?
Think of a time you had to let go of something without knowing what was on the other side… what did you learn?
What are you feeling prompted in your spirit to let go of or to leave behind?